Fifteen Oakland University student organizations are collecting food for people who live in the area, and trying to raise money for OU students.

On Monday, Nov. 2, OU’s American Marketing Association and the business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi started the All for One community giving program, which runs until Friday, Nov. 20.

The program has the concept of $1 + 1, meaning everyone is encouraged to donate $1 to help support the OU Scholarship Fund, and donate one can or food item to the metro Detroit organization Gleaners Food Bank, to help families for Thanksgiving.

The idea originated with Steve St. Germain, who is the president of AMA and a member of Alpha Kappa Psi, as well as the marketing director of The Oakland Post, and Jie Hua Lee, Alpha Kappa Psi’s treasurer.

“We wanted to do a community give back program,” St. Germain said. “Originally we were going to do this with just us (AMA and Alpha Kappa Psi), but in my experience, the best way to have a successful event is to work with other people.”

The goal is to have at least 500 participants, meaning 500 items of food raised for poor local people and $500 raised toward the scholarship fund.

The charity drive is also a competition of sorts. One of the 15 student organizations — including The Oakland Post — who are sponsoring the event can get a prize if more people donate food in its box and money in its name than they do for the other organizations.

Boxes of the different organizations, where people can drop in their food donations, are set up throughout the buildings on OU’s main campus, and even one on OU’s Macomb campus. To donate money, people have to contact the organization, or go to the Center for Student Activities office in the basement of the Oakland Center.

“We wanted to integrate a competition, to try to get them to rally their networks to bring in more donations,” St. Germain said.

He said AMA and Alpha Kappa Psi contacted all the student organizations at OU, and heard back from 13 others who were interested in sponsoring.

The winner will be announced at the party at the end of the drive, on Friday, Nov. 20, from 8 to 11 p.m. in the Gold Rooms in the OC. It’s open to all, and will have free food, music and games.

St. Germain said people who donate $1 at the CSA office will get a ticket stub. He said the individuals may also be able to win prizes at the party with the tickets.

St. Germain said originally the idea was to hold just a canned food drive, but then they got in touch with Starr Cornell, director of OU’s Annual Giving Program.

He said Cornell had the concept of $1 + 1, and they though was a good idea.

The scholarship fund is utilized to help students with extenuating circumstances that prevent them from staying in school or completing their degree.

The Post’s editor-in-chief Colleen Miller is one of the student org leaders who are hoping to win the drive.

“As an organization, we wanted to be involved in a charity drive, give back to the community somehow,” Miller said.

One of the things The Post is doing as a sponsor is giving the program free advertising space.

“I like the fact that it’s going toward a local organization and going toward the student body,” she said, “and not to some anonymous face in another part of the country.”

Sponsoring organizations’ boxes’ locations:

Alpha Kappa Psi: Elliott Hall – undergrad lab, Oakland Center – across from Fireside Lounge

American Marketing Association: EH – undergrad lab, North Foundation Hall – Academic Skills Center, OC – Chartwells office

Association for Women in Communication: OC – in front of Credit Union One Bank

Chi Sigma Iota: Library – front desk, Pawley Hall – resource library, NFH – Academic Skills Center

Delta Sigma Theta sorority: OC – Student Technology Center

French Club: Kresge Library – front desk

Future Educators – OU at Macomb: Macomb Campus

Graduate Student Physical Therapy Association: Hannah Hall–Graduate PT Lab–Rm 302

Intrigue Hip Hop Dance Team: OC – CSA Office

Muslim Student Association: OC – CSA Office

Pre-Medical Society: NFH – Undergrad Admissions

Psi Chi (Psychology Student Association): OC -Student Technology Center

Society for Human Resource Management: EH -undergrad lab

Students Michigan Education Association: PH – 3rd Floor Resource Library

The Oakland Post: outside the Oakland Post office in 61 Oakland Center